Sri Lanka's former skipper and opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is to retire from Test cricket but will remain available for shorter versions of the game, the country's cricket board said Wednesday.

Dilshan, who will be 37 on Monday, is due to make a formal announcement at a news conference on Thursday.

"He is retiring from Test cricket but will be available to play in one-day matches," a Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

Dilshan has been a key factor in Sri Lanka's rise to the top of the rankings in Twenty20 cricket, smashing an unbeaten 74 off 51 balls in his last match - a six-wicket win over South Africa in August.

AFP - Global Times